Drama in the Dolomites: an avalanche buried a ski tourer. After more than 20 hours, the 54-year-old is rescued. It’s like a miracle.
Bolzano – Carluccio S. (54) was buried under an avalanche during a ski tour. Buried under the masses of snow, the 54-year-old Italian fought for his life. Rescue workers only find the missing person after an intensive search after more than 20 hours. “Miracle in the Dolomites” was the headline in local media.
Dolomites: Ski tourers survived 20 hours buried under the avalanche
“The night was terrible. I was so afraid of dying,” Carluccio S. reports to the Italian news agency ANSA. The 54-year-old is still in the intensive care unit in Bolzano, but he’s fine. But the hours under the avalanche don’t let go of Carluccio S.. He will probably not forget the night for the rest of his life. He knew that under no circumstances should he fall asleep, because that would have been the end of him.
Carluccio S. strapped on his touring skis on Wednesday (January 26) and set off towards Setsass (2,571 meters). The entrepreneur, who likes to cycle in summer, was traveling alone in the Dolomites (Italy). During the ascent he probably triggered an avalanche himself.
The masses of snow suddenly carried the 54-year-old with him. “When the avalanche was about to stop, I started swimming in the snow to keep myself afloat. But my movements were very limited, my shoulder hurt and my backpack was in the way,” Carlucci said, as reported by ANSA. Fortunately, he was able to move one arm relatively freely. With this he managed to form a kind of funnel in the snow in order to be able to breathe.
“I will never forget the sound of the helicopter” – ski tourer survives avalanche in the Dolomites
He tried to call for help. However, the man waits in vain for a reaction. When it got dark, the 54-year-old tried to stay awake with micro-gymnastics to stay alive. His heart raced. He kept moving as best he could under the snow. After so many hours, his body heat melted a layer of snow and he was able to free himself more and more. With the first light of day his confidence returned.
“I’ll never forget the sound of the helicopter,” says Carlucci. He relaxed when he saw the rescue workers. According to reports from the rescue workers, one of the missing ski tourers’ hands stuck out of the snow.
Carluccio would like to give up ski touring in the future. Just because of his family. He’s lucky to be alive. For the rest of his life he will think of that night in the snow when he sees the stars and the Big Dipper in the sky.
Avalanches cause numerous deaths in the Alps every year. In Austria in Vorarlberg, an avalanche hit the slopes after Christmas. Cell phone recordings show the avalanche falling into the valley and burying people. Initially, emergency services assumed that many were missing.
Eleven people died in the glacier fall on the Marmolada in the Dolomites. Boulders and ice thundered down in the summer of 2022. (ml)
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